Tunnel Vision Coaching

Halftime of our first game and we were looking for answers offensively as a staff. We came up with a few different ideas that may or may not have contributed to being more efficient to finish the game, but still wasn’t enough to come away with the win. The natural reaction to a loss is always asking what could I have done better. Looking back at some film there felt like a missed adjustment to possibly exploit the opposing team’s post protection. Maybe, there were opportunities to induce more long closeouts leading to better drives and better shot selections. Would it have helped? Not sure. Either way, I didn’t catch it during the game and that kind of tunnel vision coaching can get you beat. Something that I always try to tell myself prior to the game starting is to “see the floor,” in its entirety.

Head Coach Perspective

This might come off as goofy, but I felt like I saw the floor better while actively standing. Maybe being allowed to pace the sidelines a bit helped with any game anxiety; it certainly wasn’t the 5’8″vantage point versus sitting on the bench.

Despite the view, my focus as a head coach always seem to live in the future tense.

• Who’s my next sub?
• Where are our guys positionally?
• What’s the next action to defend or run offensively?

All forward thinking based on score, time, and situation is processed with past possessions:

• How are they guarding screens?
• Who has had the better matchup to exploit?
• What action has hurt us so far and why?

There’s a lot to think about while play is currently transpiring. Some games it seems like you catch it all and firing on all cylinders. Other times, I got locked up a bit focusing on one element of the game which might have caused missed opportunities. That kind of tunnel vision as a head coach might’ve came from getting frustrated from a previous play or being reluctant to change convincing myself that the pre-game scouting report had no flaws.

First inclination to get out of the tunnel was to open up the dialogue with staff.

“What do you think? What do you see?”

The other alternative was talking to my players. Right or wrong, I might have done this as much as talking to my staff. For one, my guys always gave me a sense of calm because it’d almost feel like I was back in my playing days. Maybe I’d use dead-ball time to joke with teammates to bring levity to a situation. The second – and more important – reason would be they’d offer on-the-floor feedback giving a small glimpse of what they are scanning from the floor. Even if the feedback didn’t offer much in terms of shifting my train of thought; it could facilitate a mood change or influence a decision to dial up or dial down our style of play.

As An Assistant Coach

The roles change, and so does the vantage point to having a seat on the bench. The job is slightly less about internally thinking what’s next, to having to communicate more what you see now. Instead of juggling rotations, calculating mismatches, and foreseeing the next timeout, I am expected to lock into the scout execution — managing defensive matchups/assignments and registering offensive possessions.

As an assistant, the “tunnel” is narrower by design—you’re intentionally zoomed into the game where the staff collaborates where to prioritize. There’s a give and take with this responsibility.

One thing that I never did as a head coach is actively take notes throughout the game. Now, as an assistant keeping game charts, I will try to scribble down quick observations (i.e. ballscreen coverages or opponent calls). Sometimes one of those little details becomes the spark you hand to the head coach that shifts a game’s rhythm, even if only for a few possessions. No different to some head coaching moments though; you can get caught up with being so focused on the play-by-play that there’s a failed retention of what’s trending from previous sequences to make an influential adjustment to potentially improve sustainable performance.

Tunnel vision. It happens. Just try to be aware of it and keep a wide lens as much as possible. Take notes, or take a step back during dead-ball situations to talk with players and staff. Let it stimulate the mind. It could be one small adjustment that might force longer closeouts, which might have created better drives, which might change the flow of the game. At least after the game while watching film you won’t bang the keyboard as much from too many missed opportunities.